Podocheong, literally Agency for Thieves Arresting, is a government body that was responsible for the arrest and punishment of criminals during the Joseon Dynasty of Korea. It was a temporary organization at first, but was solidified into a permanent one later in the Dynasty. Podocheong was divided into a left sector and a right sector, each assigned to the corresponding administrative district of Hanseongbu and Gyeonggi Province. Its role was remarkably analogous to the modernpolice.
Establishment
In 1469, King Seongjong of Joseon appointed Park Joong-sun as a Podojujang, literally "Main officer in charge of the seizure of criminals", and sent him to Jeolla Province. There are 29 records that attest to the appointment and dispatching of Podojangs, "Officers in charge of the seizure of criminals", by King Seongjong to arrest the thieves that had been appearing in various regions at the time. Pododaejangs, "Chief officers in charge of arresting criminals", in the beginning, were officers with temporary duties and authorities sent from the capital to quell thievery and such. However, in the fifth year of King Seongjong's reign, Yi Yang-saeng abused the power of his position, Podojang, to mobilize troops for his personal use, causingthe office to be abolished, but it was reestablished on March in the same year. Podocheong seems to have been slowly solidifying its status as a permanent government body during the reign of King Seongjong, and completed the process after the ascension of King Joongjong. In 1481, King Seongjong divided Podocheong into left and right sectors. The left sector's jurisdiction covered the eastern, southern, and central parts of Hanyang along with Left Gyeonggi Province, while the right sector watched over western and northern parts of Hanyang, in addition to Right Gyeonggi Province. The first recorded instance of the exact name "Podocheong" appears in the Annal of King Joongjong.
Personnel
According to the , a law book written during the reign of King Yeongjo in the 18th century, there was one Chief, 3 Assistant Officers, 4 regular Lieutenants, each regular Lieutenant commanding 26 Lieutenants without Pay and 12 Minor Lieutenants, and 4 Scribes for each sector.
